After a game last week against Lisbon that saw very little offensive production for the Hi-Liners Valley City, they were able to solve the yardage part of the equation but not the finishing portion.
The first drive of the game saw Valley City effectively run the ball inside Devils Lake’s territory before the first of three fumbles came loose and gave the ball to Devils Lake. The Firebirds stalled out after getting one first down, and after a botched punt, the Hi-Liners had the ball near mid-field.
The Hi-Liners would once again find themselves deep in Devils Lake territory, but an interception in the endzone ended another Valley City drive. This time, the Firebirds wouldn’t squander the opportunity to march 80 yards down the field to take a 7-0 lead. A deep pass from Bryson Heck to Corbyn Powell would see Valley City threaten the Firebird’s red zone again before Devils Lake hunkered down and forced the turnover on downs.
Another long drive by Devils Lake saw the Firebirds evaporate almost all the time off the clock before they tossed another touchdown pass, giving them a 14-0 lead at the break. The Firebirds then put together an impressive offensive display to begin the second half, marching down the field to take a 21-0 lead.
The Hi-Liner offense finally got on the board after a deep pass play from Heck to Jamison Mutschler put Valley City at the Devils Lake 10-yard line. A toss play to Kaleb McClaflin broke the dry spell, making it again a two-score game after a failed 2-point conversion.
The next drive would haunt the Valley City defense, as they had the Firebirds stopped multiple times only to watch a late penalty save the Firebirds from punting. The first was a late hit out of bounds that drew the penalty, with the second being a roughing the passer call on a third and long. The Firebirds would then connect on a 30-yard pass play for their fourth passing touchdown of the evening.
Both sides would exchange punts before an interception by Koltyn Grebel sparked the Hi-Liners offense to put up another touchdown that cut the deficit to 27-12. But a facemask penalty and a conversion on third and short allowed the Firebirds to take half of the remaining time off the clock and burn up the rest of Valley City’s timeouts before they punted it back to the Hi-Liners with just over three minutes to play.
Unfortunately, on the final drive, Hi-Liner starting quarterback Bryson Heck suffered a leg injury, and Jacksyn Thornton stepped in to finish the rest of the game. Thornton got the Hi-Liners to the edge of the Firebird’s red zone but couldn’t get them any closer as the game ended with a 27-12 win for Devils Lake.
Valley City’s next game will be against the Wahpeton Huskies. The game can be heard at 7:00 PM on 1490 AM/ 96.3 FM KOVC.